Play Your Way to Your Creative Dreams
For many people, living a creative life seems like a dream, like fun all the time. Those living the ‘dream’ of the creative life know the truth: It’s also a lot of hard work! So how do we thrive on this creative path? How do we face rejection, get better, and keep moving forward? One way to build our resiliency is through play.
When we were children, creativity and play were innate, interconnected, and fundamental to life. As adults, our brains are constantly being rewarded for checking items off the to-do list, and it doesn’t matter what that item is. Inbox zero? Ping! Empty sink and clean dishes? Ping! Productivity can feel really good and still be little more than procrastination.
Even good productivity — the kind that results in meaningful creative work — can lead to burnout. Creative introverts tend to be workaholics. We are quite content to focus on our work, because our inner world is far easier to control and less complicated than the outer world. If we’re not living fully though, we’re in danger of creating one-dimensional work. Meanwhile, our physical and mental health suffers, not to mention our relationships.
As a community, we’ve moved beyond idealizing the lonely, damaged, starving, suffering artist tropes haven’t we? Good. We want to succeed in our fields, but we’re no longer willing to sacrifice our bodies, our mental health, and our loved ones to get there. We want to enjoy the journey. We want to balance the “doing” with “being,” and play can help, even if it doesn’t come naturally any more.
Paradoxically, the best way to incorporate child-like play consistently is to embrace your inner grown up and schedule it. Build play time into your calendar. Start weekly, but aim to make space to play every single day. If daily play seems easy, you’re already halfway there. If you feel too overwhelmed with your responsibilities to play, start small, with just 10 minutes. If instead, you’re rolling your eyes and wondering what to DO with all that play time, here are a few suggestions to get you started:
doodle
dance
read a book outside your genre
play with a pet
spend time with a kid and let them choose the activity
daydream
explore nature
rediscover a childhood sport or game
play an instrument
listen to music
There are no rules to play except this: Play’s only purpose is pleasure.
Play does not serve your to-do list. Play does not ‘shoulda’ or ‘aughta’ anything. Play is about following the bread crumbs of desire, feeding curiosity, and losing yourself in wonder. Bonus points if you can play well with others, just like a kid again.
Play relieves stress, builds connection through shared experience, increases your creativity and energy, and gives your body and brain a much needed break. And who knows what inspiration you may find along the way? Our best ideas often come not when we’re hammering away at a problem, but once we focus on something else entirely.
When your tank starts to feel empty, when you wake up in the morning feeling overwhelmed by your tasks, take time to play. Your body and your work will thank you for it.
Looking for other effective ways to reach your creative dreams and still enjoy the journey? Download your free Weekly Creative Energy Planner and get started today.
